to treat lawmakers so well? Of course it wouldn’t have anything to do with getting them to pass certain bills or kill others...right?

Lawmakers, almost to a person, insist the gift-giving has no impact on their thought process. They say all those nice things have no impact on how they vote. But lobbyists clearly think that spending

three-quarters of a million dollars

is a wise investment.

One more point: The vast bulk of the gift-giving is food. But lawmakers already receive a $104-a-day per diem for food and housing during the session.

So, to be clear, if lawmakers can eat for free courtesy of a lobbyist, they can pocket some of that $104. Lobbyists, then, are essentially sticking money straight into the pockets of the right honorables.